Conversations in Faith

Join us on Sundays at 10:15 AM in the Community Room for Conversations in Faith. Check the church calendar for the most up to date schedule.

Previous Discussion Topics:

Connected, but alone?

A TED Talk by Sherry Turkle

As we expect more from technology, do we expect less from each other? Turkle is a professor in the Program in Science, Technology and Society at MIT and the founder and director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self.

Texting That Saves Lives

A TED Talk by Nancy Lublin

In 2014, US teenagers pounded out an average of 3,339 texts per month. When Nancy Lublin started texting teenagers to help with her social advocacy organization, she was shocked that they texted back about their own problems, from bullying to depression to abuse. The results saved lives.

Listening to Shame

A TED Talk by Brene Brown

Brown, a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work, has spent the past ten years studying vulnerability, courage, authenticity, and shame. According to Brown, shame is an unspoken epidemic and the secret behind many forms of broken behavior. Her presentation is full of humor, personal experience and good, practical stuff.

A TED Talk by Brene Brown

A Third Way to Think About Aid

A TED Talk by Jacqueline Novogratz

The debate over foreign aid often pits those who mistrust “charity” against those who mistrust reliance on the markets. Jacqueline Novogratz proposes a middle way she calls patient capital, with promising examples of entrepreneurial innovation driving social change.

My Wish: the Charter For Compassion

A TED Talk by Karen Armstrong

People want to be religious, says scholar Karen Armstrong; we should help make religion a force for harmony. Anti-religious for many years, Armstrong advocated for and help created a Charter for Compassion to restore the Golden Rule as the central global religious doctrine. Millions of people have signed it.

The Power of Introverts

A TED Talk by Susan Cain

In a culture where being social and outgoing are prized above all else, it can be difficult, even shameful, to be an introvert. We design our schools, workplaces, and religious institutions for extroverts, creating a waste of talent, energy, and happiness for introverts. Introvert Susan Cain, a former corporate lawyer and negotiations consultant, argues passionately in this talk that introverts bring extraordinary talents and abilities to the world and should be encouraged and celebrated.

Why Your Critics Aren’t The Ones Who Count

by Brene Brown

There is nothing more frightening than the moment we expose our ideas to the world. Author and vulnerability researcher Brene Brown shows us how to deal with the critics and our own self-doubt by refusing to “armor up” and shut ourselves off.

A TED Talk by Simon Sinek

Lose Your Ego, Find Your Compassion

A TED Talk by Feisal Abdul Rauf

Feisal Abdul Rauf, Imam of Masjid al-Farah mosque in New York for 25 years, has devoted himself to healing relations between Muslim-Americans and their neighbors, and bringing that message of peace to the wider Muslim world.

I’m the Son of a Terrorist. Here’s How I Chose Peace

A TED Talk by Zak Ebrahim

Groomed for terror, Zak Ebrahim (son of a jihadist who helped plan the 1993 World Trade Center bombing) chose a different life. The author of The Terrorist’s Son, he hopes his story will inspire others to reject a path of violence.